Co-working Spaces: Building Community

Changing work habits combined with excess retail space mean there is a tremendous opportunity for retailers to launch co-working spaces – but for operators looking to enter this space, targeting specific categories will be key.

Af WGSN

Analysis

As more flexible working scenarios continue to emerge, co-working spaces are evolving into a global industry. By 2022, over five million people will inhabit more than 30,000 co-working spaces – one million of them in the US, according to a 2017 report from Emergent Research and GCUC.

As retailers look to make use of excess store space, there is a real opportunity to turn it into co-working space. Real estate management firm JLL expects co-working space in US retail will grow at a rate of 25 percent annually through 2023 to reach approximately 3.4 million square feet, a fraction of the cur rent 60 million square feet of space in conventional office buildings across the US.

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